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Steelers' LBs coach Butler to stick with staff
Monday, January 30, 2012
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Linebackers coach Keith Butler has decided against interviewing for the defensive coordinator position with the Indianapolis Colts and will remain with the Steelers, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has learned.

Butler was scheduled to interview with new Colts Coach Chuck Pagano on Tuesday in Indianapolis, but he changed his mind after meeting today with team president Art Rooney II and Coach Mike Tomlin.

Butler was told after the 2009 season he will be the team's defensive coordinator when Dick LeBeau retires -- a handshake agreement that was made when he turned down the Miami Dolphins offer to become their defensive coordinator.

It is not known what was said at today's meeting, but Butler was likely given a stronger indication -- not to mention a hefty new contract -- about when he might replace LeBeau, who is 74.

Butler knows which side of his bread is buttered. Stick with a winner, Indy won't be doing anything for a long time, especially with BA as their OC.

If you don’t stand behind our troops.....Please feel free to stand in front of them!!!

"Give me a 6 pack, half hour of rest and lets go play them again....We can beat them."
--Jack Lambert

"They say that when you're the champs, everybody will try to beat you. Well, I'm glad we're the champs, so bring 'em on, bring 'em all on. If we die, we ain't gonna die running. It's gonna be a fight."
--Joe Greene

I think LeBeau will stay for this coming year then step aside for Butler.
Butler knows this situation is better for his career and family and I'm
sure the Rooney's have this transition ready to go when the time arises.

Indy won't be doing anything for a long time, especially with BA as their OC.

Read this... i hope andrew luck is a heavy weight qb and they have a quality FG kicker

BA and a new QB .... Wow..

According to the story, the vertebrae in Manning's neck have healed as expected and he's been throwing a football since December, but the nerves in his arm aren't progressing enough to indicate that he will play again, as shown by the velocity in his passes.

The Yahoo! story also quoted two doctors with experience in spinal fusion surgery who said it could take up to one year before Manning will even know if he can return.

With BA out and Butler staying, that makes 2 excellent decisions Art Rooney II has made this off season. I'm starting to get the feeling we're onto something now. Up next, we fix our O-line and bring in a fullback.

The Indianapolis Colts have already filled one coordinator position with a former Steelers assistant coach. But they are not going to fill the other that way.

Linebackers coach Keith Butler has decided against interviewing for the defensive coordinator position with the Colts and is going to remain with the Steelers, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has learned.

Butler was scheduled to interview with new Colts coach Chuck Pagano today in Indianapolis, but he changed his mind and canceled the trip after meeting Monday with team president Art Rooney II and coach Mike Tomlin.

Butler was told after the 2009 season he will be the team's defensive coordinator when Dick LeBeau retires -- a handshake agreement that was made when Butler turned down the Miami Dolphins offer to become their defensive coordinator.
It is not known what was said at Monday's meeting, but Butler was likely given a stronger guarantee -- not to mention a hefty new contract -- about when he might replace LeBeau, who is 74.

Last year, the Steelers prevented Butler from interviewing for the defensive coordinator position in Arizona by refusing to grant permission to the Cardinals to speak to him.

However, the Steelers could not do that this time because Butler did not have a contract for next season.

Meantime, the Steelers search for an offensive coordinator will continue after one of their candidates, former Colts coach Jim Caldwell, was hired to be the quarterbacks coach in Baltimore.

Caldwell, who was fired after the 2011 season, was at the Steelers offices Saturday and interviewed with Tomlin about replacing Arians as offensive coordinator.
Arians, who was not offered a contract to return for the 2012 season, was in Indianapolis Monday to finalize a deal to become the new offensive coordinator for the Colts -- a move that comes 10 days after the Steelers announced he was retiring.

Arians, though, never had any intention of retiring. His departure from the team was phrased that way only because the Steelers would not renew his contract.

I'm excited to see Coach Butler staying with the team. He has great insight into how the Steelers run their defense and when the time comes he will no doubt take over and put his own stamp on his group. I wonder how much of a raise he got in his new contract the Rooney's offered him to stick around?

maybe the steelers told lebeau that they were getting rid of arians and didn't want 2 new coordinators in the same year. so lebeau is here for what will be his final season while getting keith more input in the defense while the steelers break in a new OC.

maybe....

"Today, I'm officially retiring a Pittsburgh Steeler. And as much as I will miss football, my teammates, coaches and everything about the game, I don't want to play it in any other uniform. The black and gold runs deep in me, and I will remain a Steeler for life."--Hines Ward